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Faldon: Too Soon To Grade Bielema’s Hiring

Even before Bret Bielema had stepped off the podium Wednesday at his introductory news conference as the new Arkansas football coach, the praise was reaching a fever pitch. From national sports writers to local fans, the consensus was Arkansas athletics director Jeff Long made a “home-run hire.”

I have two problems with that.

One, I don’t like using a baseball metaphor when talking football. Second — and more importantly — it’s far too soon to say Bielema is a home run.

That said, it appears Bielema has all the ingredients to be a success at Arkansas.

Growing up on a pig farm is almost too good to be true when you’re talking about the head coach of the Razorbacks. Plus, if you spend your childhood planning to become a pig farmer like your dad, you get lessons instilled in you about the importance of hard work and of doing things right the first time. (Of course, the 42-year-old Bielema also met his 27-year-old bride at a blackjack table in Las Vegas, so he’s not “all work, all the time.”)

He played football under Hayden Fry, who worked one season for Frank Broyles at Arkansas. You could say because of that, Bielema is on the Broyles coaching tree — though it’s a bit of a stretch. He worked under Kirk Ferentz at Iowa as well. And Bill Snyder at Kansas State and Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin before taking the reins in Madison.

He was 68-24 (.739) in seven seasons as the head coach at Wisconsin and got the Badgers into three consecutive Rose Bowls. His career coaching record — starting with his first graduate assistant assignment at Iowa in 1994 — is 152-85-1 (.639). In 19 seasons of college coaching, he’s only been on the staff of a losing team three times as the Hawkeyes posted three consecutive below-.500 seasons from 1998-2000. But he’s also been a part of two 10-win seasons, four 11-win seasons and one 12-win season — all since 2002.

At his news conference Wednesday, he was a natural behind the microphone. He was a dynamic speaker and storyteller. He was funny, personable and clearly passionate. He even welled up a bit talking about his newlywed bride. In other words, when the Fort Smith Razorback Club brings him to town, order your tickets early.

There was no doubt at all that Bielema won the news conference Wednesday. But that and his record and his pedigree don’t win games — especially in the Southeastern Conference. It will take a few seasons and recruiting classes to transform the Razorbacks into a team capable of playing Bielemaball. It might not be possible to grade the hiring in one or even two years from now.

It’s easy to see why Long was smitten with Bielema. Long, by the way, deserves serious kudos for running a tight ship during the coaching search. And if any of your friends claimed to have “sources” who said Jon Gruden or Chris Petersen or whoever else was the front-runner for the job, feel free to mock them and their “sources” endlessly.

For now, Arkansas fans should just be glad the drama that began in April when fired coach Bobby Petrino put his motorcycle, career and the 2012 football season in a ditch has finally, mercifully, ended.